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Doctors
beat South West Pharmaceuticals by 27 runs
Doctors 173
for 6
Pharmaceuticals 146
for 3
Keith Powell (13) opened proceedings with 3 stylish boundaries but
then perished to an over-ambitious drive against Tom Hopkins (1-32). A fine opening spell by David Holland
accounted for John Ogle who miscued a hook into the hands of Hopkins but a
murderous 50 partnership between Andrew Paisley and James Murdoch then put
Doctors on top. Quality shots were
plentiful as the batsmen got used to the slightly slow pace of the Cannington
pitch and it took a top class leg cutter from Holland (2-20) to dismiss
Murdoch (27), bowled off his pads. Paisley (37) soon followed,
caught by Hopkins off the persevering Nick Adair (1-36), but the new batsmen Andrew
Dodden and Graham Fergusson were even more punishing. Both fell in the quest for fast scoring,
Dodden (20) to Damian Rice (1-41) and Fergusson (20), a deserved wicket for
Rob Adcock (1-37), when he managed somehow to give Hopkins at long on his third
catch with a flat batted drive to a ball which would otherwise have been
called a wide. Harry Lee compounded
the bowlers’ misery as he blasted 24 not out with a cameo of elegant
shots.
Doctors ultra-reliable opening bowlers John Down and Sam Powell made
scoring extremely difficult in the early part of the Pharmaceuticals’
reply and it was Down (1-18) who made the breakthrough when keeper Fergusson,
standing up to the wicket to the quicker bowlers in Jack Russell style,
effected a lightening stumping of which Russell would have been proud. The batsmen Rice and Holland decided
that attack was the best form of defence and an entertaining battle
ensued. Rice’s belligerent
innings of 30 ended when he was lbw to Peter Reed (1-30) and
then Lee (1-24) bowled a critical spell of controlled away swing which
stifled the batsmen who were looking to accelerate. With the required run rate becoming
monumental Doctors lost concentration and the fielding became ragged and three
catches were put down. Jeremy Budd, on
loan to the opposition, came in to play a confident knock of 30 not out and
Holland kept battering away in an unbeaten innings of 65 that contained 8
fours and 2 sixes, but the visitors never quite got within range and Doctors
ran out comfortable winners.
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